With a growing population, the number of developmentally disabled children grows. Additionally, the rates at which children have been diagnosed as developmentally disabled, and particularly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), have steadily increased. Individuals with developmental disabilities often have several challenges in common, including but not limited to speech and language impairments, cognitive deficits, social problems, behavioral problems, memory problems, attention deficits, and sensory processing dysfunction. The developmentally disabled population extends beyond those with ASD to include those with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, Fragile X syndrome, ADD/ADHD, cognitive challenges, and other disabilities. Moreover, various late-onset disorders and conditions often lead to similar challenges (e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, dementia, stroke, and brain injury).
The manifestations of such disabilities can vary greatly from individual to individual (particularly in those with ASD, a disorder known for its “spectrum” of neurological impairments). As time goes by, parents, family members, friends and therapists who spend time with such disabled persons develop their own understanding of each disabled individual's unique set of challenges and faculties. Each caregiver may build his or her own set of tactics for managing challenges that confront the disabled individual, whether health issues, emotional swings, or everyday adjustments to new environments and situations. As these circumstances arise in day to day life, the disabled person may greatly benefit from the assistance of specific caregivers that have grown to know and understand the disabled person.
However, as many such disabled individuals enjoy some level of independence, situations may arise during which a caregiver's help may be beneficial, though the caregiver may not be physically present. A need therefore exists to provide disabled persons with dynamic, circumstantially appropriate, targeted assistance from specific caregivers at specific times.